Observing from a Distance
by LeARn-t0-fLY
Summary: Greasy Sae's grandson, Cori, observes the District around him and the people in an insightful manner as he struggles to scrape by. Cori finds himself falling for Madge, but Madge has other things going on...
1. Chapter 1

Grandma Sae is calling me, I'm sure of it. Her wheezy voice is unmistakable. I open one eye; the other is still pressed against my sack. 'Mmmm?' I manage to ask her what she wanted without using words that actually appear in the English language.

'Come on you, you're going to help me at the stall today. Young Katniss promised me a wild dog and I have some wee knick-knacks for you to sell,' she says, shaking me roughly. I manage to stand, only just, mind you. I'm still groggy from my sleep. I walk over to the kitchen table where Grandma Sae has laid out some broth for me- carrot and pea, by the looks of things. Wait, carrots? My plant must have grown after all! A strange old man had traded me the seeds one day at the Hob, in exchange for a bowl of soup. He had told me not to expect much, but I planted them in a dirt patch outside our hut nevertheless. Grandma Sae must have watered it when I had lost hope, and here now, in front of me, is carrot and pea soup.

Next to the marvellously orange soup is a pale of water for me to wash my face and hands with. By putting a cautious finger in the water, I discover that Grandma Sae has heated it up slightly so that it is no longer ice cold. There is only one explanation for this morning's generosity; I am clearly going to be working very hard today.

Once I am washed and dressed, I take some time to feed the chickens. We have two: Cluck and Egg. You can tell what an imaginative child I was. My mother, bless her soul, would collect their eggs every morning, until she was bed ridden. My mother had managed to bargain with the birdman up at the Hob; two of his chickens in exchange for a fortnight's supply of soup. He accepted, after much begging on my mother's behalf, and she brought home the chickens that were to be christened Cluck and Egg by yours truly.

My mother was overjoyed at the opportunity of business that these chickens held for us. 'Things are looking up, Cori, just you wait and see.'

That's my name. Cori. It's short for Coriander, which is Grandma Sae's favourite ingredient for her soup, when she can get it. When she can't scavenge any, she jokes about putting _me _in the soup. 'Aye, you'd make a good soup, m'boy,' she would tease, with an evil glint in her eye. It was rather scary at times, and when I was little I thought she really was going to put me in the soup. Not my full body, but she kept eyeing up the tip of my ear.

As I'm spreading out the last of the feed for the chickens, I notice that Egg hasn't laid any eggs this morning. That's the third time this week. I have a feeling her next egg will be one of her last, and we will have to keep it, so that we can get another chick. Cluck and Egg have been with us for nearly eleven years now, and when my mother bought them they weren't exactly young. Mother is going to be so upset, if she can remember. Sometimes she can't even remember me, but other days are worse. The screaming, the hate-filled threats. We have to try and shush her, in fear if passing Peacekeepers. All the things she shouts are true, but speaking the truth is pretty much illegal here in 12.

I'm making my way over to the Hob now, and I decide to take a longer route, so that I can go through the Merchant's town. I always love going past the grocery stores. If I can't eat the food, I might as well smell it. Sometimes I can convince my body that I've had one of those juicy apples, or a dangerously dark berry. One time the grocer mixed up blueberries with Nightlock berries. It would have been disastrous, had a strange man not come by. He was a coal miner, but also a hunter; he hade traded with Grandma Sae many times. He spotted the berries and informed Mr Frankly, the grocer. Mr Frankly offered him as much fruit and vegetables as he could carry, but he refused politely and asked for a single apple. 'For my daughters,' was all he said, and he went back home to the Seam.

I was seven then, and it wasn't until I was older that I knew who that man was. Mr Everdeen, one of the miners who were in the same mining accident as my father. It was the biggest mine explosion for about 50 years. That was the day that they said even as far as District 10 they could feel the ground shake. It was huge.

I hate thinking about these things, so when I reach the bakery my whole face lights up. They have the most beautiful cakes. I know the boy who decorates them, Peeta, he's in my class at school. We sit next to each other in history. He doesn't talk very much; he only ever looks over at the Everdeen girl, Katniss. He thinks no one knows that he fancies her, but everyone knows, apart from Katniss. She is oblivious to what is going on.

Today, the cakes are decorated for May Day. Brightly coloured ribbons are wrapped all the way around magnificent white cakes with three tiers of amazing sponge. I don't linger for long, as I'm afraid that Mrs Mellark will chase me away, calling me Seam trash as I run. I hurry along to the Hob where Grandma Sae will be waiting for me. When I open the door to the Hob, Grandma Sae rushes over to me. 'Where have you been?' she asks.

'I got distracted, sorry,' I murmur, heading over to the stall. I take a minute to examine what Grandma Sae has collected for me to sell. Some random bits of metal and material, buttons, safety pins. Amongst the clutter I find a bright red ribbon in pristine condition. It's a rare occurrence for something so bight to have made it's way into the Seam. We all wear dark colours, like greys and greens. The brightest thing I have ever seen anyone wear around here is a small pink dress worn by none other than Prim Everdeen. I couldn't help but love her, the pour soul. No one can help but love her.

I pick up the box of goodies and start asking passers by if they're interested. I can tell this is going to be a long day.

Around noon, Katniss walks through the door with her friend Gale. If I didn't know better, I would have said they are cousins, maybe even brother and sister, but I do know otherwise, and they are just friends, although I can tell Gale wants it to be more in the way that he looks at her. I'm not so sure about Katniss, I think she likes things just the way they are.

Between them, as promised, they are holding half a wild dog, which Grandma Sae takes willingly in exchange for some bits and bobs, as well as some thread and a large piece of material. Grandma Sae tells me that she just tells her customers that it's beef in the soup. 'They don't notice the difference,' she winks at me.

**Wow, this is my second new fic in two days, I have been so busy! I hope you liked and I will update as soon as possible! Please review, I really want to know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

After a full days hard work, Grandma Sae lets me go home. When I get there I take off my weak and dirty shoes and put them neatly at the side of the door, and I hang up my light jacket on the nail on the wall. Something my mother used to say comes to mind:

'Just because we're poor, doesn't mean we can't be tidy.'

I never made sense of that saying. My older sister, Pepper, thinks it's all a load of twaddle. After our mother fell ill, I tried to keep up what housework I could, and I still do. Pepper, being four years my senior, doesn't live at home anymore; she married a Seam miner, Rain Bramble. Despite his downcast name, he's the most upbeat person I have ever met. He's a bit of an optimist, a glass-half-full kind of guy. I couldn't have been happier when Rain brought her the bread half a year ago.

As I walk through to the bedroom where my mother has to endure her days, I see Pepper has been here, like she always has when I'm at school or helping at the Hob. She has changed mother's clothes and given her as much food as we can manage to give her. She is sitting up in bed, counting the cracks in the ceiling.

'Hello, mother,' I say, bringing over a cup of water.

'Twenty three, twenty four... '

'Mother,' I say again, giving her shoulder a gentle shake.

'Twenty six, twenty seven...'

'Look what I brought you,' I say, trying to be as patient as possible. From my pocket I produce the red ribbon, the one I spied amongst the junk earlier. I hand it to her, watching as her face brightens. She runs it over her face lovingly, letting its silky form get into every nook and cranny of her skin. I smile ever so slightly, not letting this get my hopes up. 'So,' I begin tenderly, 'did you have a nice chat with Pepper today?'

'Pepper didn't come by,' my mother says dreamily, 'some other girl did. And why do you keep calling me "mother", you're not my Cori.' She starts shaking violently now, trying to get up from bed. 'Cori, Cori! Where are you sweetie?' she calls hoarsely through to the kitchen. She turns to me, a frantic glint in her eye. 'What have you done to my Cori? Where are you taking him?' Beads of sweat are running down her forehead. I'm at loss for what to do, but thankfully Grandma Sae has just gotten back, and hearing the screaming she walks calmly into the bedroom.

'Mother? Mother, help! This boy has captured Cori, we have to help him, we have to-'

'Shush now, my wee lamb. Cori's just fine. Shush, my wee chickie,' Grandma Sae soothes her. She tries to get up, but Grandma Sae puts her back down gently. She motions to me with her hand, telling me to disappear for an hour or so. I put my shoes and jacket back on and head outside, wondering what I'm going to do with myself for a couple of hours.

Roaming the streets of 12 isn't a pretty sight this time of year. Everyone has to pretend they're happy about the May Day festival, but inside everyone's hearts are slowly shattering. All anyone can think about is the eighth day of the month- Reaping Day. The school had a holiday today; we all get the week off before The Reaping. I really have no idea why; it must be some Capitol thing. They make holiday trips to see the old arenas, even take part in re-enactments. It's sick.

All the parents feel like locking themselves in the house and not coming out until it's all over. Some break down altogether, having to miss work because they've made themselves ill, starving themselves and their families. They say my own mother is one of the lucky few; she's insane all year round. She doesn't even the notice when The Reaping is happening. What they say is true, but that just makes it harder to bear.

The radiant Madge Undersee, who I have just walked into in my trance, interrupts my thoughts.

She staggers backwards and I grab hold of her delicate shoulders, not letting go until she's steady. 'Sorry!' I say, 'I wasn't paying attention to the road,' I explain sheepishly.

Madge smiles brightly at me. 'It's fine, I was the one that bumped into you.' She ducks her head, clearly embarrassed. I try to make her feel a little more comfortable and I chuckle before asking, 'So, where are you headed?'

'I was just on my way over to Katniss' house, I have some medical supplies from the Capitol for her mother,' Madge replies, glancing down at the basket she's carrying.

I must say, Madge is not a person I know well, but I always thought she'd be quite snobby, considering she's the mayor's daughter and all, but now that I've had the chance to talk to her, she seems no more than a kind, shy individual.

'Would you mind me tagging along?' I ask, wanting to know more about this beautiful foreign creature.

'Oh, sure, I guess...' she says a little uneasily. We walk along in a comfortable silence, which is broken when I offer to take her basket for her. She hands it over, purely to humour me, and we carry on walking. We talk mainly about her; whenever she asks about me I give her a vague answer and angle the conversation back to her. I'm too interested to talk about myself, and I'm afraid of boring her. I've never been much of a chatterer anyway, I'm a listener, and as a result, people seem to like me more. Everyone feels better once they have confided in someone, and I'm usually that someone. I always get the satisfaction of seeing a huge weight lifted off of someone's shoulders.

Madge tells me of how her mother is slightly out of it, not quite in sync with the world, and I can't help but compare her to my own mother; the similarities are definitely there. She also tells me of her father, who is too busy with running the District and other things; she feels ignored, abandoned, and I can relate in ways. I soon learn that being the mayor's daughter isn't as glamorous as it's cut out to be.

We reach the Everdeen household/squat and Madge taps the door lightly. It's Prim that answers, her hair tied back and her apron on. 'Hi Madge! Katniss is a little busy at the moment, she got her knee cut when she was out today and I'm just treating it. You can come in if you like, but I'm not sure if she feels like talking.' She looks towards me. 'Who's your friend?'

I'm a little upset that she doesn't remember me, but it is hardly her fault, seeing as she was only little when we last saw each other. 'I'm Cori, Greasy Sae's grandson,' I say, knowing she would know who I am by telling her that extra information. I don't know why they call Grandma Sae "greasy", maybe just a nickname that stuck?

'Oh!' Prim squeaks. 'Your Grandma makes the most amazing soup! Katniss brings some home for me sometimes; my favourite is the coriander and mushroom.'

'Yes, that's my Grandma's favourite to make, that's why I'm called Coriander, Cori for short.'

Prim smiles and steps aside, allowing us in. I hand her the basket and she peaks inside. 'Oh, thank you Madge!' She runs off to put the medicine in their various places.

We see Katniss briefly and chatter to Prim, before I decide it is safe to venture home. We bid our farewells and Madge walks me to my house, which is on the way to hers. We say goodbye and I feel like this friendship will be one of the most important relationships of my life so far.

**Okay, that's the second chapter, review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

After I had got home last night, I hit the sack- well, _lay_ on the sack- and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. My nightmare was vivid and terrifying:

_I'm sitting on a grimy street of District 12, begging for food from the people that walk by. The victor from the previous Hunger Games, Shimmer from District 1, comes and starts threatening me like we're the last two tributes in the arena and she's telling me exactly how she's going to kill me. She strokes her machete lovingly, and the scene blurs so that we _are _in the arena. It's a rainforest, with so many poisonous animals and plants. I'm lying on the ground; Shimmer is sitting on my chest. Some sort of lizard is trying to eat my ear. Shimmer leans down to my ear- the one the lizard isn't trying to eat- and whispers something about making it slow and painful. I can't make out her full speech, but I know it's going to be bad. She kisses my cheek, and I know this is going to be bad. Shimmer was renowned for kissing her victims. I can tell this is going to be rough. She presses her machete to my neck and begins to dig in, and just as it begins to slice through my flesh..._

I wake up in a cold sweat. I sit bolt upright, clinging onto my shaggy dark hair, trying to wrench it out of my scalp.

Grandma Sae has just entered the room to wake me, and when she sees me trying to tear off my limbs, she comes over and just holds me, making soothing noises. I begin to calm down, but when she pulls away I hug my knees to my chest and rock back and forward. Grandma Sae gets up to leave, but not before telling me breakfast's on the table. After a minute or two of more rocking, I manage to calm myself and drag myself out of my warm sheets. I trudge through to the kitchen. Grandma Sae has left me an ice cold pale of water and a half bowl of coriander and mushroom soup. I'm suddenly not very hungry, and I know exactly who would benefit from this. Fortunately, it's a reasonably warm day, so the soup won't go cold too quickly.

I find myself speed walking through the streets, and I pause at the bit where I was begging in my dream. I tear myself away and reach the door of the Everdeen's. I chap lightly, but I consider running off because they probably won't appreciate this early visit and find me stupid. I breathe a sigh of relief when it is Prim who opens the door. I smile faintly at her. 'Hey Prim.'

She looks slightly confused, and when I produce the bowl from behind my back, she looks even more confused. I help her out a bit.

'It's coriander and mushroom; I thought you might want some.' She grins at me, but before I can give her the soup Katniss appears at the door. 'Prim, who are you talking to?' She looks at me, slight recognition spreading across her face. 'Oh... hey, Cori?'

I nod my head. 'Yeah, I was just stopping by to hand in some soup for Prim,' I say, holding out the bowl. 'It's not much, but...' I trail off. Prim beams at me, but Katniss knits her brows tightly together. I hand over the soup; Prim inhales deeply and Katniss walks back inside, muttering something about "we're not a charity". Prim just rolls her eyes and invites me in, running on ahead of me. She sits down at the kitchen table with a spoon already in her hand. I sit down opposite her and watch as little Prim wolfs down the broth. I smile; knowing I have helped someone feels better than having a meal in my stomach. I excuse myself and Prim says her thanks before I dash out the door and half run toward the Hob. Grandma Sae is waiting for me, looking rather stern. She doesn't question me like yesterday though, so I put on my tattered apron and get to work. My job is chopping up all the ingredients for the soup, when they arrive, that is, so I'm kept very busy. I might get a square of turnip, or some raw meat at the start of the day, and as the day progresses I might have gotten a half onion or something, whatever Grandma Sae can convince people to part with. I put it all in a witch-like cauldron and serve it to the customers as it comes. If I get a new ingredient, I chop it as quickly as possible and plonk it into the soup.

Around mid-day, Darius- the friendly Peacekeeper – comes to the stall and asks for a bowl of soup, like he does most days. He slings himself up onto a stool and sits eating his soup in silence. I'm not very sure what District he's from, definitely not from the Capitol though; he would have a Capitol accent, like that Effie Trinket. I think maybe District 2, where most of the Peacekeepers are from.

I glance over at Darius, and he's staring right back at me. His eyes are filled with sympathy. I just nod at him, our eyes still locked together. He pushes his empty bowl forward, lays some coins on the table and leaves. I count the money and discover that he has given me a little more than what is needed to pay for the soup. I can only presume this was intended, and I put the coins in the money box and get back to work, sending my silent thanks to Darius.

**Okay, I know this chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I just needed a filler chapter before the Reaping. Hope you enjoyed, and I would really like more reviews!:)**


	4. Chapter 4

Reaping day. My gut feeling tells me the odds are not in my favour. Grandma Sae has left me to lie in today, seeing as there will be next to no business at the Hob. I lie in, glad of the extra time to rest, seeing as my Shimmer nightmare came back to me last night. I close my eyes, but as soon as I do a strange feeling settles in my stomach, it rises into my chest and fills up my throat, a horrible combination of fear and worry. My name is in that bowl 20 times, so that I can get tesserae for Grandma Sae, mother and I. Pepper wouldn't let me take out any for her; she say she's doing just fine. I wanted to, and for Rain as well, but they just wouldn't let me.

At about eleven o'clock I decide I am rested enough and get up. Grandma Sae has left my best clothes on top of my cardboard box, which serves as my closet; she has chosen a simple white shirt with brown pants and burgundy braces. She's left my brown shoes next to the box and she has polished them up. I dress, and as I am slipping my foot into my left shoe, an object hits my toe. I reach into the shoe and pull out a small object wrapped in delicate tissue paper. I carefully unwrap it and examine the item.

It is a ring, a man's ring, made from silver, and I recognise it immediately. It belonged to my father; it was his wedding ring. He wanted my mother to have a traditional wedding, before the toasting, and that involved getting the rings. My father spent weeks gathering things to sell so that he'd have money to buy them, and missed a few meals as well. As soon as he was able to get them, he married my mother.

I haven't seen this ring for years, not since I saw it on my father's finger. He always took it off when he went to work, in fear of losing it or getting it scratched, and that is why we have it today, the last piece of my father. I put the ring on my finger, but it is much to big and it would surely fall off. I search through my coat pocket until I find the piece of string I have been fiddling with for days. I place the ring on it and hang it around my neck, making sure it is long enough for m to tuck it into my shirt, close to my heart.

I walk through the kitchen and into my mother's room, fighting back tears that threaten to spill over. She is still sleeping, so I gently kiss her forehead, and creep away. It's now only half past eleven, another couple of hours or so until I make my way to the square. I saunter over to my favourite place- the bakery. I look in the window, and see the most amazing cake.

It has white icing and in the middle are carefully spelt words-

"May the odds be ever in your favour"

I have a hunch they were instructed to make this cake, but it is not the writing I am amazed by. The whole cake is completely covered in flowers, each individually hand crafted. They all look so real. Pink, lavender and orange flowers surround the swirly lettering, growing out of the top and sides of the cake. I know that only one person could have made something this delicate and precise: Peeta.

As if he heard me think his name, Peeta appears in the window with a small forgotten flower. He places it on the cake and only notices me when he looks up from perfecting his beautiful creation. He gives me a small wave, which I return with a smile. He looks behind him nervously, as if checking the coast is clear, and steps outside the bakery to greet me.

'Hey Cori,' he half whispers.

'Hello Peeta,' I reply. I glance over at his cake. 'It's simply marvellous Peeta, you certainly have a talent,' I say. Peeta blushes furiously.

'Yes, we had an order put in from the Capitol, so i can be displayed on the train for the ehm...tributes.'

I understand why even Peeta, the master of words, is struggling with these simple ones. The reaping takes its effect on everyone.

'Well, it's beautiful, but I'm afraid I will have to be going now,' I say, with a nod of my head. I turn on my heel and begin to walk away.

'May the odds be ever in your favour,' a small voice says behind me. I spin around to see Peeta still standing there, a grave expression on his face.

'And may they be in yours, also,' I reply softly. Peeta steps quietly back inside and I continue on my journey.

I reach my house to give my face a quick scrub and comb my hair. My hair hasn't been cut in a while, and it surrounds most of my face. I hear girls at school saying it's cute when I come in with bed hair, but I just think it's a nuisance. It is not co-operating, so I splash some water on it to get it to lie flat. This doesn't work either, but I'm past the stage of caring. Surely if I am reaped, or rather, sent to my death, then I should be able to look like what I want. Unless you come from District 2 and you have six volunteers for one tribute.

I do not visit my mother before I set out. I said my goodbyes this morning, remembered every feature of her peaceful face. That is how I will remember her. It is easier to remember the old days when she isn't screaming in your face.

Grandma Sae will be meeting me in the square, just like she's done for the past four years. I make my way over to the square after saying a quick goodbye to Cluck and Egg. My legs carry me there without me telling them where to go. As I near I can see more of a crowd gathering. Camera crews are surrounding the perimeter of the square, heartlessly filming all the fear and despair. Peacekeepers, marching around in their intimidating white uniforms, hands on their guns. I find Grandma Sae in the crowd. 'Oh Cori, can you not do something with that hair?' she asks, distress lingering on her voice. She tries to pat it down, without success. She groans and pulls me into a tight hug. I hug her back, trying to ignore the camera that is pointed at us.

I break the hug and walk over to the cue for 16-year-old boys without another word. I line up and see Peeta just a couple of people in front of me. He doesn't notice me, just keeps his face in a calm mask as the Peacekeeper jabs the needle into his finger and points him in the right direction. He walks away and the line keeps moving. I look over to the girls' line and I see Madge, looking stunning in a white dress. A small pin is attached to her dress, a round golden one with a bird on it. A mockingjay, I think. I presume it is some kind of family heirloom.

I now look towards the back of the line and see Katniss, who looks very sophisticated in a pale blue dress. She's holding onto Prim's hand, who looks very pretty in a white shirt and grey skirt. Prim looks scared and is attempting to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand. Katniss is trying her best to comfort her. My attention is stolen by the Peacekeeper who is shouting at me, telling me to give him my hand. I give it to him and he handles it roughly, stabbing the needle in and yanking it back out. I am told to follow the other boys who are assembling near the middle of the square. Our mayor, Mayor Undersee, is sitting up on the stage, which has been placed right in front of Justice building, and sitting next to him is District 12's escort, Effie Trinket. The seat next to her is empty, but we all know whom it's for.

The clock strikes two, and the mayor steps up to the podium to give us the same yearly speech: how in the ashes of North America the new nation of Panem was made. He makes a list of all the natural and man-made disasters. Then he tells us about the Dark Days and how the districts were defeated, Thirteen obliterated. He says some positive things about the Capitol and the Treaty of Treason. The mayor finishes with his usual 'It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks.' He then goes on to reading the names of 12's past victors. This doesn't take him long, seeing as there are only two, and only one is still alive.

Haymitch Abernathy staggers onto the stage when his name is called. The crowd claps politely, even though no one really likes him. Haymitch is renowned as the town drunk and – just like always- he is drunk. He doesn't even bother to sober up for the Reaping.

As soon as we're all done clapping, he makes a beeline for Effie and tries to give her a hug. Effie has to put in a lot of effort to shake him off, because although he is drunk and old, he is still pretty strong. She wrinkles up her nose and stands up, walking over to the microphone like a little horse, trotting along.

'Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever _in your favour!' She babbles on about it being such an honour to escort 12's tributes and how she can't wait for the games to begin.

After an insane amount of chattering she walks over to one of two huge glass bowls, filled with thousands of slips of paper. She pulls a huge smile and says 'Ladies first!' She leans up on tiptoe and plunges he whole hand in the bowl. She swirls around a bit before plucking out a slip and holding it above her head. She walks back over to her microphone and unfolds the paper. She gives a small sigh before saying

'Primrose Everdeen.'

I almost collapse. 'No… no, no, no,' I mutter, running a hand through my hair. Everyone gasps, like they always do when a twelve-year-old gets picked. I see little Prim walking out from where she was standing at the back of the crowd, her small face as pale as a ghost's. Everyone makes a path for her, when I hear someone scream.

'Prim, Prim!' It's Katniss, who is rushing out. She pulls Prim in close and then puts her behind her. Peacekeepers begin to move in, trying to separate the pair. Katniss tugs against their strong grip. 'I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute.' She exclaims hoarsely. Startled Peacekeepers are struggling to regain composure, as District 12 has never had a volunteer before.

'Lovely!' calls Effie Trinket, 'But I believe there's the small matter of introducing the Reaping winner and _then_ asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth the we, um…' she trails off. From what I can gather, Miss Trinket is a very organised lady who likes to follow her schedule, and plan ahead for every last second. She is most commonly spotted with her clipboard, bossing people around and rushing around in her extremely high heels. Poor Effie, this must be living hell for her. Dear, spoilt Effie, not getting her own way. Life's tough, and she'll just have to learn that the way we did: the hard way. I have to stop myself from getting to angry and turn my attention back to the stage.

Katniss is beginning to walk up, but is stopped by a weeping Prim who is clutching onto her hand. 'No Katniss, no! You can't go!' she cries desperately. Katniss is trying hard not to cry; it's not that obvious but I know what to look for. 'Let go Prim, let go.' I see Gale running out of the crowd to pull back Prim, who is frantically thrashing in his strong arms. Katniss steps onto the stage. Effie Trinket reaches out and grabs Katniss by the hand, dragging her over to the microphone. 'Well, bravo! That's the spirit of the Games,' she exclaims, 'What's your name?'

'Katniss Everdeen,' Katniss murmurs, swallowing hard.

'Well, I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her stealing all the glory, now do we? Come on everybody! Let's give a round of applause to our newest tribute!' Effie starts clapping frantically, but no one joins in. Nobody makes a single sound. We give Katniss what we can: silence. It tells her that we do not agree, that this is wrong. I am the first to start it: I touch my three middle fingers to my lips and hold it out to her, watching as everyone else follows suite and gives the silent salute.

**Okay, another chapter down, and quite a long one too! I just want to say thank you to**

**RedRoses130, Celeq, MagnificKCBEE and Alec Mason for adding this story to your alerts/favourites list. Just don't be afraid to hit the review button and tell me what you think! **


	5. Chapter 5

After everyone has put their hands down, Effie Trinket tries to continue, but Haymitch staggers over to Katniss. 'Look at her, look at this one!' he hollers, putting his arm roughly around Katniss' shoulders. 'I like her! Lot's of…' he pauses to think, and he now has every camera trained on him. 'Spunk!' he says proudly. 'More than you,' he says, coming forward and addressing the crowd. 'More than you,' he repeats, jabbing his finger in the direction of the cameras. He opens his mouth to say something else, but he falls off the edge of the stage and is now lying unconscious on the ground. Two Peacekeepers walk in with a stretcher and they carry him away out of sight. Effie Trinket straightens her wig, swallows her embarrassment and says, 'What an exciting day! But more excitement to come, it's time to choose the boy tribute!' Effie walks over to the boys' bowl and plunges her hand in. My hands are getting sweaty. Prim only had her name in the bowl once, what about a person like me who has their name in 20 times? My forehead is sweating really badly now, I'm starting to black out…

'Peeta Mellark!'

It's not my name. That's pretty much all I know. Whose name was called? I see him making his way through the crowd.

Peeta.

Oh no. Not Peeta. I know right now he is going to die. I know he loves Katniss too much to let her die. I immediately know his strategy: protect Katniss, kill self. I just know it. Peeta. Tears come to my eyes; I let them fall without putting up a fight. I don't want him to go. I want to volunteer. I will myself to volunteer, but the words just don't come. I cry harder, trying to make myself say it. Peeta is up on the stage, looking absolutely petrified, tears in his eyes. _I volunteer_ a voice inside of me screams. _Please! I volunteer! _But no one can hear me.

'Any volunteers?' Effie Trinket asks, eyes sweeping the crowd.

_ME! TAKE ME! I VOLUNTEER! PLEASE! _

My voice is lost and my lips won't open. It's too late. The mayor is already reading out the Treaty of Treason and Katniss and Peeta are standing on the stage. The mayor finishes and motions for them to shake hands. They do, and I can almost hear Peeta in my head, his optimism showing through.

_Well, at least she knows I exist now. And look! I'm actually holding her hand!_

Peeta and I aren't exactly close, we only sit (or sat) next to each other in one class, hardly exchanged words, yet he is one of the only people I can call my friend. The reason I wanted to volunteer or him is because he's the most down to earth person I know, always putting others first and is altogether an extremely kind person, not a bad thing to his name. I just can't see Peeta killing anyone; he's not like that Gale, or even Katniss. I doubt he's even killed a spider before. I just don't want the Capitol to turn him into something he's not, because he will always just be the baker's son of District 12. Maybe not to everyone else, but to me. He will always be Peeta, the boy with the beautiful cakes. I can see Katniss feels the same way, even if she doesn't realise it yet. The way she's looking at Peeta tells me she doesn't want to have to kill him. She wants to break whatever it is that ties them together, so it won't hurt so much when he dies. Unfortunately, Peeta is my friend, so that wound will always stay open to me, never becomes a forgotten scar.

The anthem plays and Katniss and Peeta are whisked away into Justice Building. Effie Trinket dismisses us with her routine 'Happy Hunger Games!' and we all head home. Some of the children have small smiles of relief on their faces; they get to live another year. But for Peeta, and probably Katniss, this is the end of the line.

*Phew!* Two chapters in one day, even if it is a short one. Aren't you all lucky! Thank you to Casper Mellark and Peeta Bread loves Catnip for adding this story to your alerts/favourites list. But please, would someone review, because although tons of people have followed, one person has reviewed. It makes me sad. Please just hit the review button! Thanks


	6. Chapter 6

I went to sleep as soon as I got in yesterday. Sure, it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but when I feel depressed I always sleep for about 16 hours or so. It just makes my brain sleepy and I have so sleep it off. Reaping day usually does this to me. I think it's my brain's way of helping me forget.

It never works.

I've woken up now, and as it's quarter to six, I am out of things to do. I don't usually get up 'till 7, but I couldn't sleep another wink. I have to busy myself. I'm scared of what my thoughts will do to me if I give them the time.

I quickly dress and head out the back door. I make my way over to the chickens, the only ones I can really rely on. I go over to Clucks nest: 2 eggs. Egg's nest: no eggs. I sigh inwardly, wondering what to do. If she doesn't lay another egg soon, she's dead meat. Literally. I sigh again and give them some feed, then go back inside. I sit down at the kitchen table and stare at the egg on the kitchen counter. Wait, egg? I get up from my seat and go over to examine it. Grandma Sae must have seen that Egg will soon be no more too. It makes me sad that my feathered companion will soon be gone, most probably in the soup. I've had Cluck and Egg since I was 5, and it will be a strange thing not to have one around. But it was to be expected. Good things never last. Never.

Grandma Sae has wrapped up the egg in some hay and placed it carefully among three candles in an attempt to keep it warm. I see that she has also put some more new candles in the cupboard. Seeing as the others are burnt out, I fish out another from the cupboard and light it with a match. I sit the egg down again and am about to try and find some breakfast when I hear a faint tapping on the door. I'm not expecting anyone at this early hour, so it's a great mystery to who it will be behind the door. I open it.

Madge.

Her eyes are red and puffy, her hair slightly bedraggled but apart from that she looks like her normal, perfect self in a cute knitted jumper. I'm about to open my mouth to greet her when she practically falls onto me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. It takes me just a second to understand, and I hug her back. The front of my shirt is beginning to get slightly damp, but no matter. We stand there for what seems like forever, until she let's go. I still have both hands on her arms.

'I'm sorry, I wasn't quite sure who else to go to,' she sniffles. I pull her in for another hug.

'You came to the right place,' I say, as I crush her gently against my chest. She pulls back and wipes away her tears. I catch one that she missed with my thumb. My hand rests on her cheek for just a moment. I snap out of my trance and take my hand away. I move past Madge and out the door, pulling her with me by the hand. 'So, what are we going to do today?' I ask her, but she seems quite confused. She looks down at her hands, which are still entwined. I glance down and let go, stuffing my hand in my pocket.

'We could go for a walk, maybe?' I prompt her. She looks at me and smiles ever so slightly, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

'Sure,' she says quietly. We walk along the road, not really saying anything, just making the most of each other's company. I finally break the silence.

'Want to talk about it?'

Madge looks up at me (for she is about a head smaller than me) and says, 'We should talk about it, like, y'know, face it and accept it, but I just don't want to,' she pauses, 'Does that make sense?'

'Yes,' I say. I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. 'It makes perfect sense.'

Madge smiles and continues. 'I think Katniss can win this,' is what she says. I look at her.

'I know she can. She's a survivor,' I reply. She'll survive, with Peeta's help, I add mentally.

'Katniss was the only person I could really consider... a friend,' Madge says, looking down, 'I used to sit with her at lunch, pair up with her in classes, but we hardly ever talked.' She stares down, playing with her hands. I take them in mine, and say quietly, 'I know, that was just like Peeta and me.'

'Oh Cori, I'm so sorry, I forgot,' Madge exclaims, 'Here's me talking about Katniss coming home when you want Peeta to be home, oh I'm so sorry.'

I give a shaky little laugh, 'It's fine, honestly. It's better one coming home, rather than neither, and besides, I know it will be Katniss, in my heart and mind,' I say. Madge seems confused.

'How do you _know _it will be Katniss?' she asks. My answer is simple.

'Because Peeta will never let Katniss lose.'


	7. Chapter 7

Madge just stares at me. 'What do you mean?'

I'm very surprised she hasn't noticed. 'Have you ever noticed that when you're around Katniss, at lunch or in class, you always see Peeta lingering about, eyes fixed on Katniss?' I can see realisation spreading across her face. Her lips form to make a perfect "O" shape. 'Ah… right,' she says. I laugh a little.

'Yes, I always see Peeta just hanging around, staring at Katniss, and then glaring at me,' she says, as if it's a total mystery. I feel like I'm stating the obvious when I tell her. 'Peeta was glaring at you because you were preventing him from talking to Katniss; guys always try to single girls out, they never talk to a girl if she's standing in a group, unless, of course, he is particularly cocky.'

This is exactly why I've never really talked to Madge, asides from her being the mayor's daughter. She smiles mischievously. 'So now that Katniss isn't around anymore, I'll have lots of boys approaching me?'

'Nope, because I'll punch them before they get the chance.'

'Why?'

'Because none of them are good enough for you. They wouldn't treat you right.'

I have no idea why I just said that. I just sort of came out. I've never noticed before, but I think I may have feelings for Madge Undersee. I think they've always been there, buried deep down, waiting for my archaeological self to dig them up. I haven't noticed but we've been gradually getting closer together, our arms are now touching, our shoulders even. I think we've both noticed now, but neither of us is attempting to break away.

'That was a beautiful pin you were wearing yesterday, where did you get it?' I ask, in an attempt to start up a lighter conversation.

'Oh, it belonged to my Aunt,' Madge says simply, but I sense there's something more to the pin's history. 'I gave it to Katniss as her District token.'

'That was sweet,' I murmur. My efforts at starting a non-Katniss/Peeta related conversation have failed. It seems our whole lives are just based around them, and we don't really have a life outside of them. Now is the time to fix that.

'Someone at school told me you have chickens,' asks Madge. 'Do you really?'

'Yeah, we keep them out the back door. Would you like to see them?'

'Oh yes!' Madge says, her whole face brightening. I take her hand and lead her back to my house. We go straight round the back. She practically squeaks when she glimpses Cluck sprinting around. She runs over and kneels down, trying to find him again. I glance over at Egg; she's not looking too good.

Madge has caught sight of Cluck again and I walk over to her. 'That one right there is Cluck, and the one over there,' I say, jabbing my thumb behind me, 'that one is Egg.'

'They're very nice, y'know, for chickens. Where did you get them?'

I tell her about my mother in the market and the eggs. I also tell her about Egg being ill.

'That's awful,' she half whispers, he features drooping.

'Well, these things don't last forever. I'm sure she'll get reincarnated as something nice.' I reply bluntly. I go on to tell her how we've kept Egg's last egg in the kitchen.

'Can I see it?' asks Madge.

'Sure, I guess,' I say, failing to see what's so interesting about an egg.

I take her though to the kitchen and show her the egg and the candles. They're still burning.

'That can't be keeping it very warm,' Madge says.

'Well, it's the best we've got.' I reply.

She looks at me, searching through my eyes.

'We have powerful lights at home, ones that don't use electricity, so they're always on. Maybe your egg will be better there?' she asks.

I'm not really sure whether I want this egg out of my sights, taken away by someone who is practically a stranger.

'Yeah, that would be great,' I say, letting my heart rule over my head. Madge beams at me. 'I'll take it over later'.

'Remember to tell me as soon as it hatches mind,' I say, because I will be very upset if I miss anything.

I look at the small, wooden clock on the wall: 9 o'clock. Grandma Sae will be missing my help at the Hob, but I think I deserve a day off, considering the circumstances. I think I should go over there, but I can't just leave Madge. Or more like I don't want to leave Madge.

'So what do you fancy doing for the rest of the day?' I ask her. There's really nothing fun to do for teenagers in 12; we have to make our own fun.

'I want to go into the woods,' Madge says, but she's avoiding eye contact.

I really don't think going into the woods is a good idea. We all know that the fence isn't charged 24 hours a day, as it is claimed to be. Also, there are dangerous animals in there, and without a weapon I won't be able to protect myself, never mind Madge too.

'Well um…' I start off, rubbing the back of my neck. Madge stops me before I can say anything else.

'Don't say it's too dangerous and I wouldn't be able to protect myself, Katniss did it almost everyday, and all that happened to her was a few minor cuts and bruises.' Her voice is getting louder and louder, and I have to calm her before she wakes my mother. I take hold of her shoulders and shush her.

'That's not what I meant. What I meant was, what if we get caught? When the Peacekeepers find us, what will happen to us? Whipping? _Execution?_ And you, you're the mayor's daughter, what would happen to your father?' I ask her, my voice getting slightly aggressive.

I instantly regret my actions. A single tear makes its way down Madge's cheek, crawling down on the death march. I wipe it away, regret completely engulfing me. Madge stares at me with a hard glare. 'I'm _sick_ of people telling me what I can't do, what I'll never be able to do, be it because I'm the mayors daughter or because I live in this _stupid District_!' And with this she bursts into tears completely. I hug her gently to my chest, rocking her back and forth, just like I've seen Grandma Sae do many times with mother. I hold her just as I did a couple of hours ago.

'It's okay,' I whisper into her hair, 'We're going into the woods.'

**Hey everyone, so sorry I haven't updated in a while, but you guys didn't give me any reviews either! I decided I'd upload this short chapter just to sort of coax you into reviewing… is it boring? Well, please please please review **


	8. Chapter 8

Madge looks up at me and is struggling to repress a smile. 'Really?' she asks in disbelief.

'Yes really, but if we're caught...'

'We won't get caught!' Madge exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door. I pull back and tell her I need to go get something. I half run through to my bedroom and rake through the small pile of my clothes. Something cold and smooth brushes by my fingers. I pull it out and examine it: my father's penknife. I pull out the blade; it's still reasonably sharp. I run back over to Madge and we make our way over to the fence. We go to where Madge says she saw Katniss going through a couple of times. Sure enough there is a sizable gap in the middle of the fence. She makes a beeline for it but just before she gets there I grab her arm and pull her back. 'Wait!' I shout, my temples starting to sweat. 'What if the fence is still live?'

Madge just smiles at me knowingly. 'It's okay, Katniss mentioned it one time: she said the fence is hardly ever live and if it is, you can hear a distinct buzzing noise. I hear no buzzing noise,' she says, grinning like crazy.

I frown slightly. 'Maybe you're not listening close enough?' I ask her, and I gingerly move closer to the fence. I listen closely for a couple of seconds, and there appears to be no buzzing. Madge stares at me, waiting for the all clear, and when she sees that I can hear no buzzing noise she moves forward, although a little more cautious this time, most probably for my benefit. I keep close behind her, glancing around for Peacekeepers and passers-by. My hand curls around the penknife in my pocket.

Madge takes a careful step through, and when she's at the other side she motions for me to follow. I reluctantly follow her through, taking a last look for patrolling Peacekeepers. I am through the fence, and I walk towards where Madge has sauntered off to. She turns around and smiles hugely, showing off her perfect teeth. I am suddenly hyper aware of my slightly crooked front tooth, so I grin at her with my lips sealed. I look behind Madge at the forest, the back at her, and something we should have thought about earlier occurs to me.

'Madge, what do we do now we're here?'

'Uh, I don't really know,' she replies sheepishly. I know how she feels; we now have so much freedom we don't know what to do with it.

'We could go collect some berries perhaps?' I ask her, leading the way into the forest.

'Sure,' she says, catching up with me.

After an hour or so we have collected a fair number of berries: strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. I bring back some strawberries and place them in the pile when I see Madge about to eat a blackberry.  
>'Wait!' I cry, 'We don't want to start eating them now, we can have a great feast later. If we start eating them now, who knows if we'll be able to stop,' I say, a cheeky grin on my face.<p>

'Yeah, okay,' Madge says, putting the berry down reluctantly.

I hear a strange noise in the distance, but I guess it's probably some sort of animal. I hear the noise a couple more times, and I don't think it's an animal anymore. Someone has been following us. My hand instinctively jumps to my pocket where my penknife lies. I motion to Madge to keep quiet, and she's confused at first but stays quiet all the same.

'Show yourself,' I say in a shaky but loud voice. 'Come on, show yourself!'

A figure emerges from the trees. 'Well seeing as you asked so _nicely _Cori,' the person says in a deep voice. I can see him more clearly now, his arms raised in the "don't shoot" position. I can see his face now, and it takes me half a second to put a name to the face: Gale Hawthorne. I smile, take my hand out of my pocket and cross my arms across my chest. 'Hey Gale, whatcha doing here?' I ask him, although it's blatantly obvious. I just don't know what else to say to him.

'Um, well hunting, duh,' he says, a lopsided grin on his face, one that doesn't reach his eyes by a long shot. 'Can't stop to chat, I've got a lot to do, seeing as I have two more mouths to feed...' he trails off.  
>I really want to help him in any way I can, for Prim's sake, as I know she and her mother are the extra mouths. I pick up the berries from the ground and hold them out to Gale.<p>

'For you, to help with your family and Prim,' I say. He examines them closely and then cries out. He throws the berries on the ground stamps on them hard.

'Hey what the-'

'Cori, have you any idea what type of berries they were? _Nightlock _berries, Cori, Nightlock!'

I am extremely shocked. I checked all the berries I picked, making sure they weren't poisonous, and I would have recognised them if they were Nightlock. A thought comes to me. Madge. I never told her what they looked like. I look over at her suddenly very pale face, her fingers outstretched, purple stains coating the tips of her fingers. Gale notices at the same time I do, and we both rush over to her. Despite being further away, Gale reaches her before I do and gives her shoulders a rough shake. 'Madge, did you eat the berry? Madge. Madge? Look at me. Did you even taste the juice off your fingers? Madge, _answer me!_'  
>Madge is thoroughly shaken, and it takes time for her to shake her head in response. Gale steps back, relief flooding on both our faces.<p>

'Cori, that was a close one, you shouldn't be out in the woods if you can't even tell blackberries from Nightlock.' He gives me a very hard glare and walks off; taking out an arrow from the sheath on his back and loading it in the bow I only just noticed he is carrying.  
>I turn back to Madge, who is still kneeling on the ground, staring at her hands and shaking vigorously. I wrap an arm around her and steer her in the direction of home.<p>

'I think that's enough for one day.'

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in AGES, I've had a really sore hand and my mum said I wasn't aloud on the PC for a while. I'm back now, and you can expect the next chapter in the next few days, I think it's a little bigger so I hope that will make up for me abandoning you all. I would really, really appreciate it if you could review, it would mean the world. Thank you :)**


	9. Chapter 9

When we get to my house we are both completely exhausted, so I steer Madge into my room. My plan is to put her to sleep on my bed and I'll crash in one of our shabby un-matching armchairs. When I try to gently ease her down, however, she drags me down with her and I'm lying on the bed, Madge half asleep and curling up next to my chest. Not wanting to wake her, I just stay put. I drift into a peaceful sleep, one that is not bombarded with Shimmer, the District 1 victor. It's like Madge is my own personal dream catcher, warding off bad dreams.

I wake very suddenly, after a dream about eating lots of bread, and I am very confused when I find myself strewn across my bed, Madge lying on my torso. I move my head to check the time: 7:30 at night. I squeeze my eyes shut and then open them again. I figure I should wake Madge, because she has now probably missed dinner is in very serious trouble. I sit up and give her a soft shake. Her eyes open immediately, darting around, looking for the fire. 'Huh? What is it?'

I point to the clock. 'It's half seven, your parents will be worried,' I answer.

Her eyes go wide, worry crossing her face. She jumps up and heads for the door, straightening her clothes as she goes.  
>I quickly grab a book from my bedside table. 'Here, take this and tell them you were reading in the meadow in Victors' Village and fell asleep,' I say. Madge takes the book and smiles at me. 'Thank you, for everything. You saved my life this afternoon,' she says, blushing bright pink.<p>

'Hardly,' I reply, but feeling extremely pleased with myself at the same time. I run a hand through my messy bed hair. I just remembered something. 'Oh, Madge, remember you said you were gonna take the egg?'

'Yes, is it alright if I come by after school tomorrow and pick it up?'

'Sure, sounds fine.'

With one last quick smile she is out the door. I go over to the window and watch as she half runs back to her house.

I lie back down on my bed and kick off my shoes. School tomorrow is going to be murder. I am going to be completely alone. I give myself a mental slap for that. Peeta is on his way to fight to the death for entertainment purposes, and here I am thinking about myself, and how I will be a loner in school. I close my eyes and fall back asleep.

My nightmare is vivid and cruel.

_It's the year of the 72nd Hunger Games, and yet again we are down to the last two. The arena is the remains of an old city in America, New York as I recall. The old buildings are crumbling, most of them only half standing, blood smeared on almost every wall. Bins full of old waste litter the streets along with corpses of dead animals and humans, lying disembodied on the ground. Weeds burst through the asphalt, trampled on by Tributes. Fires burn, fires that will never cease._

_I look down; there is a brick in my hand. The other Tribute, a scrawny looking boy of no more than fourteen is slumped against a wall in front of me; his dark hair caked in blood. He cowers as I advance._

'_Please,' he croaks, 'Make it quick.'_

_I smile, intending on making my victory slow and satisfying, for me, anyway. I raise the brick above my head…_

'Cori, Cori!' a voice shouts. I open my eye, looking around my blurry surroundings. As my eyes adjust to the daylight, a dark figure comes into focus. Grandma Sae is standing over me, her hands gripping my shoulders.

'Huh? Wha-'

'You were having a nightmare, boy, you were thrashing around,' she says, putting on a soothing voice. 'Besides, it's time for school, get yourself up. I'm going to the Hob.' And with that, she is gone. I get out of bed, do everything I usually do and head out the door for school.

The first four subjects went by in a blur; I never paid any attention to what the teachers were telling me, just kept staring at the empty seat beside me. I'm now cueing up for lunch, wondering where the day has gone. We get free school meals here, but they're in the tiniest portions and I'm not sure whether they're actually edible. I take my "slop" with a feeble 'thank you' and move on to scanning the room for a seat. There is nearly always an empty table, but today everyone has spaced out. There's a table with only one seat occupied, and that person's back is facing me. I sidle over there, knowing exactly who it is.

I creep quietly up to the table and stand behind the person. 'Mind if I join you?'

Madge whips her head round with a hard expression on her face, but it softens when she sees me. 'Hey, Cori,' she grins. I take that as a yes to my question and I sit down in the seat opposite her. 'How has your day been so far?' I ask, prodding my slop with a fork. My eyes don't leave Madge's face though.

'It's been okay, I felt a little sick, but I think that's because I'm quite hungry.'

'Well, this food can't be doing anything good, I think it's recycled cardboard.' Madge laughs a little. 'What did your parents sat when you got in last night?'

'They didn't notice actually,' Madge replies, as if this is a normal occurrence.

'Didn't they notice how long you were gone?'

'Father asked if I had had any dinner, I told him that I had and he just nodded and locked himself back in his study.'

I am slightly appalled by how little mayor Undersee seems to care about his daughter. If it were my own child I would be wondering where they had got to, why they had not appeared at supper, maybe even gone looking for them if it got too late. Maybe it's just me, as I was a well-treated child, my every need tended to the best of my mother's ability, my every move carefully watched.

I try to change the subject, for my sake rather than Madge's. I feel if we press the matter further, I will only get more annoyed.

'So, are you coming round after school, so you can pick up the egg?'

Madge glances around, as if checking that no one is listening in to our conversation. 'Yes, I'll come by to pick it up. Listen, do you want to come to the square tonight, only it's the opening ceremony and I don't really wand to watch alone.'

I nod my head. In truth, I was actually going to ask her the same thing. 'Sure, I'll meet you there at seven o'clock?'

She nods and smiles faintly. 'Katniss will look beautiful, I can't wait to see what they dress her up in,' she says. I know she's not looking forward to watching Katniss on television at all; she just wants to make sure she's all right.

'Well, I guess class is about to start,' I say, glancing at the old, battered clock on the wall.

We get up and head to class. The bell rings just as we are approaching the door. The teacher hasn't arrived yet, but some other pupils are already sitting in their seats, so we decide to follow suite. I sit down and glance at the desk next to me; the desk I know will never be filled today. Or ever again. I look over at Madge, who is doing exactly the same thing.

I pick up my books, which I had already laid neatly on my desk in a neat pile, and take them over to Madge. 'Mind if I join you?' I say for the second time today, a silly little grin on my face. She smiles and pulls out the seat for me. 'I think that should be okay,' she says, smiling up at me.

The rest of the lesson goes by quickly, and the next one too. I sit by Madge in the next class as well, and we walk out of the school grounds together. We walk over to my house, which is a good mile from the school, and we chat the whole way, never running out of things to say. When we get to my house Madge produces a blanket from her bag to wrap the egg up in. The candles that I had re-lit this morning are nearly burnt out, and I extinguish them with a sharp blow. Madge collects the egg and says goodbye, saying she wants to get started on some homework we were given today. 'See you at seven,' she says, just before walking out the door.

Feeling hungry after not touching my lunch in fear of death, I walk through to the kitchen. Most of the cupboards are bare, but I find a stash of peppermint leaves in one. I take a few to chew on. I then walk through to my mother's room. She is sitting up in the bed, reading a book, her cellotaped glasses slipping down her nose. She looks up when I enter, and a smile spreads across her face. 'Cori! It feels like I haven't seen you in ages, come here,' she says, opening her arms wide. I walk over gladly and envelope her in my arms, breathing in her sweet mom-like scent. After a long and comfortable hug I pull away and ask how her day has been. She tells me about Pepper's visit and what they talked about, and then she asks about my day. I tell her how I sat next to Madge and how we walked home. I don't mention the egg though; I fear it might set her off. She smiles her knowing smile and we chat some more until she shoos me away, telling me to go and help Grandma Sae at the Hob. I plant a kiss on her cheek before leaving. I grab my jacket and head out the door, feeling extremely happy for the first time in weeks.

**Hello readers, hope you liked the chapter; the next one is basically just Cori's view on the opening ceremony, so nothing new, just a filler. I need ideas for chapter 11 though, not sure where I'm really going with this. Would really love it if you could review, I only got about one in the past two chapters. Please, please, please, it would make me so happy:)**


	10. Chapter 10

I head down to the square at ten to seven. As I approach, I see a crowd gathering, those who aren't shying away from the public eye, and those whose family is safe. The blank expression on everyone's faces is the same, as they remember the extraordinary Reaping. My heart starts thumping out of my chest as I near. I search for Madge in the crowd, and I find her sitting in the front rows of the small quantity of chairs that have been put out. She's saved me a seat, and I sit down on it without a word.

'Nervous?' Madge asks.

'Never been more. You?'

It takes a while for her to reply. She stares ahead at the blank screen, and then turns her head to me so that I can see her face for the first time since I sat down. Tears stain her cheeks, and yet more leak out of her eyes. 'I just hope she gets enough sponsors,' she replies simply.

She turns back to the screen, as do I, and the Capitol seal lights up the square. The anthem plays, then the screen is brightened up by Caesar Flickerman's teeth. They truly are the focal point of the picture. How he got them like that, I have no idea, but the Capitol can do anything nowadays, or so they tell me. Flickerman's hair, which changes colour every year, is a metallic blue, clashing quite badly with the colour of the studio. On his right is Claudius Templesmith, the announcer for the Games. An elderly man, he's been announcer for as long as I can remember, probably much longer though. Flickerman does most of the talking, and he "welcomes us warmly" to the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games. He chats a little about how he feels this will be the best year ever, as he always does, and then Templesmith reads out the names of the tributes. A couple stick in my head. A mean looking girl called Clove, a burly looking guy called Thresh and of course Peeta and Katniss. They look so healthy, their skin the colour that it should be, not the sallow, pale mush that it is here. Their hair is neatly combed, Katniss' in her usual braid. I'm glad they haven't changed that, like so much more they will change about her. They go on to President Snow live, and he gives the normal "Let the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games, begin!"

The carriages roll in, District One leading. The tributes are wearing a deep pink, with the girl in a huge headdress. There's lots of frill, glitter and tassels. Of course there is. District 1: Luxury.

'Ah yes. There's the tributes from District 1, looking absolutely _stunning _in those magenta outfits,' Caesar comments, a quarter of the screen now dominated by him. 'Magenta is very fashionable as of late, there are lots of people wearing it, nice job by the stylists for that one. And here comes District 2, looking very majestic in their Greek style costumes. Gold plates are also very in, but we can expect that from the stylists of 2, always top notch.' Flickerman goes on to commentate on the rest of the ceremony, with his very annoying voice. It's when he gets to the District 11 tributes that I tune back in. The little girl, she must be no more than twelve. My heart always throbs when I see a twelve, or even a thirteen year old picked. That is well and truly sick. She is adorable, however, smiling away in her little blue dress. The boy standing beside her is the complete opposite. Thresh, the scary looking guy, is extremely tall and muscular, a giant to my own 5" 8'. We must be around the same age, his features aren't quite old enough for an eighteen year old; I'm guessing maybe sixteen. He waves to the crowd, and the girl blows delicate little kisses, although her chocolate skin looks quite chalky.

'Ah yes,' Flickerman goes on, 'and that's District 11. Wait, what is this coming up behind them?'  
>We all squint at the screen, where behind 11's carriage is something extremely bright where the District 12 carriage should be. It's fire, the carriage is on fire! Katniss and Peeta are burning! Many people in the small crowd here gasp, obviously thinking that it is an accident, and they are burning alive, but as they near, I can see them smiling and waving. It's a fake flame, and then I realize just what it is as Caesar shouts it out in his commentary.<p>

'District 12, mining, and what do we get from coal? Fire! That is amazing, is it not, Claudius?'  
>Claudius Templesmith looks dazed, and it takes him a second longer than it should do to answer. 'Yes, yes, quite stunning, Caesar, I can hardly believe my eyes. Credits to the stylists...' He checks his notes for a second '... Cinna and Portia! Wow, they are just stunning!'<p>

I can't keep my eyes off the screen; they really are amazing. The flames look so real; they're truly beautiful. I manage to drag my eyes away to look at Madge's expression: her mouth is spread into a wide smile, her eyes twinkling. I look back to the screen; Peeta has taken Katniss' hand and they are holding them in the air, defying the Capitol in their own small way. I laugh a little, something I won't be doing that very often whilst watching this screen.

'Magical folks, well and truly magical. Well, that's all the tributes in; let's hear what President Snow has to say!'

We cut from full-screen Flickerman to President Snow, this lousy country's ruler. I tune out again, and so do most people, as they are still awestruck. They are pleased that Katniss and Peeta have made an excellent impression, and are likely to get lots of sponsors, but are still worried that their act of defiance was a little too much. I also notice that Peeta and Katniss are still holding tightly onto one another's hand. I smile for him. _Good for you, man._

The president finishes his speech; the tributes enter the training centre (to much applause) and we are left with the Capitol seal as we all saunter home, our minds reeling with the events of this warm summer night.

**Wow, double figure chapter, Chapter 10, yay! Suggestions on next chapter? I have a faint idea, but I'm gonna wait till chapter 12 for the egg to hatch, and I already have a brilliant name for it! So excited now, but next chapter will just be a filler, okay?:) **


	11. Chapter 11

After that amazing opening ceremony, I walk Madge home. We walk in silence for the first part, still completely gob smacked. I am so happy for Katniss and Peeta, and I feel like I could just burst. I grab hold of Madge's hand, without properly realising what I'm doing; I'm just so pleased. They really made the District proud. I swing Madge's hand back and forth, my emotions running wild. Madge giggles a little and squeezes my hand tight. I look down at her and smile brightly. She returns the smile.

'So, how do you think it went?' I ask her, grinning like mad.

'Brilliant,' she replies, mirroring my cheeky grin. 'I bet Peeta was happy, he was only just holding the hand of the love of his life.'

'I guess that's one positive aspect,' I say.

'Were there any negative?' Madge asks, her smile fading slightly.

'Katniss and Peeta holding hands, that tells the Capitol that they aren't enemies, even given the circumstances.'

Our hands stop swinging as Madge realises what this could mean. 'They're trying to defy the Capitol? Show them that they won't fight? That they won't play the game that our country was founded upon?'

I nod solemnly.

'But what can the Capitol do about it? Make it harder for them in the arena?'

'They've already done that for them,' I say. 'They make it as hard and as challenging as they can, all they want is a good show.'

We are at Madge's front door now. She lets go of my hand. 'Well, this is me.'

I already knew that Madge lives in this grand palace, but I am amazed by the sheer size of the house; it's even bigger than those in Victor's Village, and they have rooms just for having afternoon tea. Madge turns to face me fully. 'Thanks for coming tonight.'

'My pleasure, I would have probably just been at home, on my own, because Grandma Sae watches it at the screen they put in the Hob.'

We stare at each other for what seems like forever; I am just lost in her blue eyes. They are brighter tonight than I have ever seen them; I think they change with her mood. Little strokes of grey streak them, making them seem even lighter.

I look away first, as I feel my face going red. 'So, I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?'

'Yeah,' Madge replied simply.

She slowly moves in, and gives me a hug. It is rather awkward, as I think we are both a little embarrassed from our staring. She lets go and runs into her house, closing the door carefully behind her.

I saunter off home, back to my waiting family who will more than likely want to talk about the opening ceremony. I walk through Victor's Village, a longer route, but I do it anyway. I look at all the uniform houses, not a flower out of place, and I wonder which one Katniss will live in. Because I know she'll be coming back. I am about ninety-nine percent sure. Maybe ninety-nine point nine. And a half.

I get home and walk through the unlocked front door; we can't afford a lock. We don't need it anyway; no one from the Seam would steal from us, no matter how desperate they were. We're like a big family at the Seam. We help each other out.

Pepper calls through from the living room where our screen is placed. 'Cori, is that you?'

'Yeah,' I call back to her. I walk into the room and all cramped up on the sofa is Grandma Sae, Pepper and my mother, wrapped up tight in a blanket. They are all smiling. I don't think my mother is smiling because of the ceremony, I'm pretty sure she's in her own little world, a world she's wrapped in tighter than she is in her blanket. Pepper opens up her arms and I snuggle into her, as if I'm a little boy again. I always lose about 5 years when I'm with Pepper.

'Hey Herby, did you see the ceremony?'

I smile at her pet name for me. 'Of course I did.' **(A/N: Coriander is a herb. Get it?)**

'Did you see Katniss' dress? It was amazing! Am I the only one that thought she was actually on fire?'

I chuckle lightly. 'I did, and I think almost everyone at the square did too.'

'I liked the little girl's dress,' my mother says unexpectedly.

'The girl from District 11?' Pepper asks. When my mother nods her head, Pepper says, 'Her name is Rue.'

'Like the plant,' she says smiling at the ceiling.

We all smile back at her, allowing ourselves to hope a little more. Hope that will most likely come crashing down again, laying in its place: broken at the bottom of our hearts.

We chat for a while longer, my mother humming to herself, until Pepper decides she should make her way home.

'I'm going to have to leave; Rain will be waiting for me when I get home.'

'How come he wasn't here tonight?' I ask, upset I didn't get to see him, because I really like Rain, he's cool.

'His family wanted him to watch it with them, so I said I'd come round here.'

Mr and Mrs Bramble don't like Pepper very much; they had wanted Rain to marry another girl, someone they thought would be suitable for him. I think that they thought it would feel like they still had a large amount of authority over Rain. Rain wasn't having any of it, and he married Pepper instead.

'Well, goodnight everyone,' Pepper says, standing up to leave.

I stand up too and wrap my arms around her. 'Night Pepper,' I say, but it's muffled in her shoulder.

'Night, Herby.'

She walks out the door. I say my goodnights to my mother and Grandma Sae, the head to bed. Once I'm in my nightclothes I lie awake for some time, thinking about my day, mentally highlighting the best parts, like I always do. I think about walking home with Madge from the square, how her hand fitted snugly into mine. I shake these feelings away. I want what's best for Madge, and a relationship at this time is not what she needs. I try my hardest to stop thinking about her, but then I realise how much I wanted to lean in and kiss her tonight, and I fall asleep with a sad smile on my face.

**Hey guys, I haven't updated this in about 3 weeks, I hope you haven't forgotten what's going on! I wasn't too sure about this chapter, I was originally going to have Madge kiss Cori on the cheek, but I decided that it would be too much too fast for their relationship. Anyway, please hit that review button, I would really appreciate anything you have to say about the fic so far!**


	12. Chapter 12

_It's the opening ceremony, and all the chariots begin to roll in; the Tributes standing tall, waving and blowing kisses at the crowd. Caesar Flickerman commentates in his usual ecstatic tone, his unnaturally blue eyebrows unmoving because of large proportions of botox._

_'Yes, District 10 looking rather fetching there… what's this? Something appears to be on fire! Oh my, the Tributes from 12 are on fire!'_

_Sure enough, Katniss and Peeta are on their chariots, screaming in pain. People from the audience throw water on them, but it only makes the fire grow stronger. The horses sense something is wrong and can feel the burn on the back of their legs; they run around, completely out of control. Katniss and Peeta are thrown off the chariot and they like unmoving on the ground._

_Glimmer and her Tribute partner begin to laugh uncontrollably, and the crowd follows suit. President Snow tries to control his amusement and announces that their bodies will still go into the arena, but as food for the Tributes who find them; the crowd cheer at this new announcement. Katniss and Peeta lie still, the fire has gone out and their faces are hardly recognizable, their hands are still entwined…_

I'm woken up by a tapping noise, one that, after my grogginess has subsided, I assume to be someone knocking on the door. I quickly pull on some pants and a shirt and walk through the hall, shouting 'Just coming!' as I go.

I open the door to my usual visitor. Madge stands in the doorway, a box held to her chest. Whilst trying not to be rude I say hello, and ask her what's in the box; she gestures for me to peer in, and when I do I see what appears to be a little, yellow ball of fluff. Taking a closer look I see that it's a baby chick. Smiling, I turn my attention back to Madge; she's panting, as if she ran the whole way here, but she manages to choke out: 'The egg just hatched this morning, I brought it over as soon as I felt she was warm enough.'  
>We take the chick into the kitchen and sit her down on the table. We stare at it in wonder, until I ask: 'So, what're you going to call her?'<br>'Me? It's your chick, Cori, you should name her.'  
>I chuckle lightly. 'I think I can rely on you to come up with something more ingenious than "Cluck" or "Egg".'<p>

Madge sits down and rests her head on her hand. 'I think we should call her Yolko.'

I laugh again, this time not stopping. Madge joins in, and soon we are laughing uncontrollably. Tears race down her face, she's laughing so much. I try to calm myself down. 'Yeah, Yolko sounds good,' I manage to splutter out.  
>Madge leans into the box. 'Hello Yolko, how're you?'<br>She places a finger in the box and the chick chirrups affectionately. Madge peers up at me, and I gaze at her in return. I reach over and wipe a stray tear from her face. Her eyes follow my hand as I absorb the moisture in my finger.  
>'Well, I'd better be off then,' Madge says.<br>'Can't you stay?' I ask her; I don't really want her to go.  
>'No, I... just have to get back.'<br>With that she stands up and leaves out the door before I even have a chance to say goodbye. I go over to the window and watch her hurry home.  
>Walking back through to the kitchen I wonder why she had to leave so rapidly. I rack my brains, try to come up with even a tiny possibility, but only one comes to mind.<p>

Maybe she just doesn't like me?

I could have freaked her out a bit when I touched her face. But that doesn't make sense. Maybe she just likes me as a friend, but she somehow knows I like her.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe she really does just need to get home...

**Okay, I haven't updated for a while, but I was convinced no one was reading it because no one actually reviewed… but there you go, I even left you on an exciting cliffhanger… hehe.**

**Thank you to SassMonster for all your advice and faith in the story! I hope you're reading this, because this chapter is dedicated to you:)**


	13. Chapter 13

I head down to the Hob as soon as Madge is out of sight. I walk the way I watched her run just minutes ago. It is a strange way to go if she is in a hurry to get home; this is the longest possible route she could take. I find myself going through tiny alleyways, having to walk with my back to the walls in some of them because my shoulders are too broad to fit. I am about to turn a corner when I hear voices, and I instinctively sink back into the shadows.

"Madge, what took you so long?" a male voice hisses. His voice is quiet, but potentially aggressive.

"I... I had trouble getting out of my house," I hear Madge reply.

I take this opportunity to peer around the corner. I see Madge looking at the ground, but facing a male who is tall and muscular.

Gale.

"Madge, you and I both know that's a lie," Gale says. He leans in closer to Madge, even though they are already extremely close due to the confined alleyway.

"Well, you're here now," Gale says, and takes her face in his hands. He kisses her roughly, and that is when I look away. I can't watch anymore. I walk quietly at first, but my walk soon turns into a run, as I run back the way I came and I run the longer way to the Hob. I let the tears run freely until I reach the entrance. I stop, catch my breath and wipe away the tears. I should have guessed when we saw Gale in the forest; the way he sprinted to Madge when he thought she'd eaten Nightlock.

I walk into the Hob, taking deep breaths as I go. I walk round the back of Grandma Sae's stall, put on my tattered old apron and start chopping the vegetables in front of me. I stay silent, only speaking to customers when required.

Darius has just hopped onto the counter and says jokingly "A bowl of your finest soup young man!"

When he sees that I'm in no mood for joking around today he frowns. I serve him his soup and he thanks me.

"What's the matter, boy?" he asks. I look at him with sad eyes. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."

"Ah, then it can only be one thing. Having a bit of lady trouble, are we?" he says knowingly.

I nod, not quite sure how he knew that.

"Well, in my experience, girls never stay with the other guy. If you truly love her, and she's the one for you, she'll be yours eventually. It's just a waiting game. Be there for her, don't let her down, and you should do just fine."

Darius drinks his soup and with a wink he sets his money on the counter and leaves. I just stand here, slightly open mouthed, amazed at how Darius could guess that much. I ponder over his advice, and it is good advice. He is right; it is just a waiting game. And if I have to wait, I will wait, because Madge is someone worth waiting for.

**Hello! I haven't written in ages! Just a wee short chapter this time, I'm still getting used to writhing as Cori again. Thank you very very much to What If 12 for having faith in this fic. This chapter is dedicated to you!**

**Please review! **


	14. Author's Note

Hello, just a quick note to say that I am changing my pen name from MockingjayPaean to LeARn_t0_fLY, as I have just started writing again and felt I needed a fresh name.

Thanks for reading this fic, next update will be soon!


	15. Chapter 14

_Images of Madge and Gale streak through my dreams tonight. I've lost count of how many times I've seen them kiss and caress each other in my head. It's like my dreams are in third person: I look down on myself watching them, and I see the dream me crying and running away, and then the scene changes, but exactly the same thing happens again, only at a different place. But then, when the scene changes once again, I do not see Gale and Madge; I see Gale and Delly Cartwright, and this time it is not me hiding in the shadows crying, but Madge. I watch this for a few seconds, and then the scene changes again, but this time I see Gale and another girl from the Seam, with Delly watching from behind a wall. It is horrible to watch; I will myself to wake up, but the scenes just keep changing, and Gale keeps kissing more girls, with the previous girl hiding away crying._

I wake in a cold sweat; my tattered blanket is on the ground. I get up immediately, trying not to allow myself to remember last night's dream, but it is not one that will easily fade.

I go outside to the chicken pen, carrying with me the small cardboard box that contains Yolko. I reach into the box and carefully lift the little golden fur ball into the pen. "This is your new home, little fellah," I whisper, and place it down next to Cluck. "Cluck, Yolko, Yolko, Cluck," I say, introducing them to each other. I put a little bit of feed in the chipped old bowl we use as a trough, and I head back inside to get ready for school.

Once I'm dressed I pocket my midget pencil and tiny rubber and head out the door. When I turn the first corner, I see Madge leaning on the rough wood of someone's partly collapsed fence. I quickly duck back round the corner, praying she hasn't seen me yet. I try hard to brighten my features, to not make it look as though my heart has been crushed. _She must be waiting for me _I tell myself, but just as I am about to head back round the corner, I see him.

Gale.

Gale marches up to her, and Madge jumps a little when she gets up from the fence. Something is not right here,

"Ready for school?" Gale asks, extending his hand.

Madge doesn't take it, but she walks with him. "Sure, ready for another day's worth of torture," she replies.

I decide to cut in. I speed walk to catch up and say "Hey Madge! Hello Gale." I give him a small nod. I can see Madge is startled, and slightly uncomfortable.

"Hi Cori," she says, in the happiest voice she can muster. "How's Yolko settling in?"

"Fine, fine," I say, nodding. I really don't have much more to say, I had only got so far in my brilliant plan of interception. I pipe down and we walk in silence. Madge walks in the middle of Gale and I, but being so small she doesn't notice the stony stare Gale gives me. I try to think of conversation starters, but I don't particularly want to start a conversation with Grumpy Gale.

We part ways with a small nod when we get to the school gate; Gale away to Math, Madge and I to English. We don't speak until Gale is out of earshot.

"Hi," Madge smiles, exhaling deeply. "Well, that wasn't half awkward, was it?"

I give a small smile. "Yeah, I guess." I decide to get right to the point. "So, are you and Gale… like, an item?" I realise that what I just said was really weird; kids my age tend to ask if people are 'going out' rather than asking if they are an 'item'. I hope my anxiety and jealousy doesn't show through too much.

"I… I don't know exactly," she says slowly. "It just sort of… happened."

"You'd better start at the beginning," I say, sensing a long story behind it.

Throughout the day, at lunchtime and in between classes, Madge tells me what happened.

The day after the Reaping, Madge bumped into Gale on her way out. She say he was upset, and tried to cheer him up by telling him things like Katniss was sure to win, that they had to stay positive. He asked her if she wanted to meet up sometime, and they did. They mostly talked, but then Gale made a move. At first she tried to tell him no, but he wouldn't stop. He asked to see her again, and Madge being Madge, agreed to see him again, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Eventually, Gale became more demanding, getting mad if she said she couldn't come, getting mad if she was late. He became more forceful.

Madge told me she doesn't like it, that she just wants it all to stop. I don't like the sound of this at all. I'm starting to wonder if my dream is coming true.

**Hello! I'm back with the 14****th**** chapter, sorry it took me so long to upload. Please tell me what you think, I'm planning something quite big for the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 15

Madge and I hide at the side of the school. It is the end of the day and we are waiting for Gale to get fed up waiting on Madge and go home. He doesn't wait long- I didn't really expect him to- and he heads off home, most likely to get ready for a hunt. Madge tells me he spends lots of time in the woods, more than he used to.

We come out from our hiding spot once he is out of sight and head in the opposite direction. This route will be longer, but I don't mind. I like spending time with Madge.

"So, how are you doing?" I ask as we walk.

"Well… I don't really know," she admits. "I'm really sorry for darting off yesterday, it's just Gale asked to see me, so…" she trails off.

"Oh," I say. I don't tell her that I already know, that I already saw them together. Some things are best kept on the down low.

We walk in silence for a while, kind of awkwardly. It is only broken when Madge says, "The training scores will be shown tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come and watch at the square with me, like we did last time."

I nod and smile. "Yeah that would be great," I say. I'm glad I don't have to watch alone. "What to do you think Katniss got?" I ask, already knowing her answer.

"A twelve of course!" she exclaims, a bounce in her step.

"Either that or a zero because she's too stubborn to participate!" I say laughing.

We laugh all the way home, making jokes and being a bit silly. It's nice; it makes me feel so much younger, like the teenager I'm supposed to be, not the adult I've been forced to be. Madge looks younger when she laughs too. She reminds me of how my mother used to be before she got ill: happy, light-hearted, and always smiling.

You could never tell she was falling apart inside.

We reach my house first; I invite Madge inside but she tells me she has homework to do.

"I'll see you tonight though, right?" she asks.

"Of course," I reply with a grin on my face.

"She smiles back at me. "Thank you, Cori," she says, almost like a whisper.

"What for?" I ask, slightly confused.

"Just for, well, everything," she says.

She leans in and kisses my cheek so quickly that I touch my face to make sure it was real. Madge winks and walks off. I stand here for a good two minutes, totally bewildered.

I stumble inside in a trance. I walk through to my mother's room and find Pepper sitting with her.

"Hey Herbie," she says, turning to look at me. "You're a bit late today, and you've got a silly grin on your face," she mocks, "I'd say you were with a girl!"

"Maybe," I say sheepishly, but still smiling.

"Tell me everything!" pepper exclaims, getting up and grabbing me round the middle. I should be able to fight my way out, being much stronger than her, but she starts tickling me before I can try and I can't do anything but laugh when I'm tickled.

"Stop, stop!" I cry through laughter. "I surrender, I'll tell you everything!"

Pepper lets me go and sits down on Mother's bed. Mother sits up a little, as if trying to join in with the conversation.

"Well," I begin, "Her name is Madge."

Pepper's mouth opens slightly and her eyebrows fly upwards. "Madge, as in Madge Undersee, Mayor Undersee's daughter?"

"Yeah, we're in the same year at school."

"Well, we know she's pretty, but there is something more, because I know you Cori, looks don't particularly matter to you, do they?"

My sister knows me too well. "Well, she's definitely beautiful," I say, sighing just a little bit. "But there's something more, as if behind that quiet, contained mask there's a whole other person fighting to get through. She's a mystery, but I like that."

Pepper smiles and her eyes light up. "I don't think this is just a crush," she says quietly. "I think this is love."

I have to agree with her. I've never felt this way about anyone else in my entire life. I've had a few crushes over the years, heck I even had a crush on Katniss when I was younger (I decided that although she was strong and independent she was a bit too grumpy for me) and I have definitely not felt like this before. When I'm around Madge, I do get a little nervous, but I'm able to be myself, which isn't something I can do with everyone. In some ways we are the same, but in others we are completely opposite; the perfect balance of yin and yang.

I get to the square with plenty of time before the scores are shown; the first few people are just beginning to arrive. There are a few chairs set out, but not many. I sit down in the front row and just relax whilst waiting for Madge.

When Madge arrives, she is not alone. She sees me and heads over, Gale trailing closely behind her. When she gets closer, she mouths something at me. I give a confused look; I didn't quite get it. She jerks her head backwards, indicating Gale, and mouths "Sorry."

"Hi Cori," she beams as she comes into earshot.

I stand up when she gets close and we sit down together: me on one side of Madge, Gale on the other. He shoots me a look that says "Don't even attempt to talk to me." He sits slouched with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Madge angles herself towards me. "You nervous?" she asks.

"I'm fine, I think," I reply with a tiny smile. "You?"

"I'm good."

We sit in silence and wait. After a few minutes the screen lights up with the Capitol seal and the anthem plays.

"Well, this is it," I say, nudging Madge gently.

She takes my hand (Gale awkwardly looks away) and squeezes tightly. "Yeah, I guess it is."

She doesn't let go of my hand.

**Well, here it is, Chapter 15. I would really appreciate some reviews, I haven't had one in forever:( Well, thanks for reading anyway:)**


	17. Chapter 16

The anthem ends and for a split second we have a blank and screen, but then Caesar Fickerman and his bewilderingly white teeth claim the screen. "Welcome, welcome! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, are you ready to reveal the scores of the tributes?" he asks the audience. We cut to the crowd at the Capitol, and they cheer and jump around. The camera focuses on them for a few seconds, moving around so you can see the whole crowd.

The camera cuts back to the studio and the sound fades away. Only Caesar is left on the screen. "Well, as we all know, the Gamemakers give a score to each tribute ranging from 1-12, which is based on their private session with the tributes and overall training. As usual we will read out the scores starting at District 1 and working our way up." Caesar pauses and ruffles the papers on his desk.

"Well, here we go," I whisper to Madge, and I squeeze her hand that is still in mine.

"District1: Marvel," Caesar announces, and then pauses again. He briefly looks at his notes, his powder blue hair shimmering in the light. "9!"

Marvel's picture appears on the screen and a large 9 comes out and sits below him. Caesar then goes on to announce the rest. A few that stick are the pair from Distric2, both earning 10, the thin ginger girl from District 5 who gets a 5 and the huge guy from District 11, who gets a 10. No wonder, I know I wouldn't like to be in a fight with him.

"And finally, District 12," Caesar announces, and now everyone in the square has their eyes trained on the screen. The only sounds are of the Peacemakers' boots as they patrol the square.

"Peeta Mellark," Caesar says, pausing to look at the paper on his desk. "8!"

The crowd applauds and a few people cheer. Madge and I let go of each other's hand to clap. We don't join back up.

"Katniss Everdeen" Caesar says, silencing the crowd, yet again looking down at his paper. "With a score of…" his face falters, and he wears a look of bemusement. He looks up slowly, eyes the camera and says, "11."

This time everyone stands. Everyone claps and cheers. They hug and laugh freely. Madge and I clap and cheer along with them, and then we hug. Over Madge's shoulder, I peer down at Gale, for he is not standing. He smiles to himself, and then in very small movements he touches three fingers to his lips and waves it in the direction of the screen. As the crowd dies down and Madge and I break apart, I swear I hear Gale whisper "Still room for improvement, Catnip."

I walk Madge home after we've finished celebrating; Gale mutters something then walks quickly away, so it is just the two of us. We mainly talk about the scores, and make up crazy stories about how Katniss managed to get her 11. Madge suggested she did random back flips and handstands whilst randomly killing dummies, and I said that maybe she got trackerjackers to do synchronised flying.

Madge has a bounce in her walk again. She's really cute when she's excited. When we reach her gate, I kiss her lightly on the forehead, and then leave (just as she did) without a word. I feel good, but also a little worried, in case she does not share the feelings that I put behind the kiss. I wasn't her to know that I'm there for her, and that I don't want to rush into anything. I'm still not even sure if she likes me back.

I realise that I have not walked home, but I have walked to the fence. I stop at the gap that Madge and I crawled through, that day in the forest, the day we met Gale. Gale. I definitely do not like this sudden closeness between him and Madge. I have a feeling that although what she told me was true, about him being demanding and controlling, she likes him a lot more than she lets on. No wonder, Gale is tall and strong, and risks his life to put food on the table for his family. Who wouldn't like Gale? Me, I make soup at the Hob, and that's hardly life threatening. I'm tall-ish but not very strong, and not very handsome. I guess I'm hardly surprised that Madge likes Gale over me.

However, after seeing Gale at the square tonight, I have little doubt that he is in love with Katniss. I know that Gale and Madge's relationship can only end in heaertbreak, something I'm sure is inevitable.

I have a sudden inclination to touch the fence, but as soon as I reach out my fingersI hear a noise behind me. I spin around and the Peacekeeper speaks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

**Well, that's the 16th chapter! I would really appriciate a review, I haven't had one in a while and I'd love to know what you think! Thanls for reading!**


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